


Kairos

by biasedwriting



Category: VIXX
Genre: Angst, Character Death, F/M, M/M, Multi, Pilot Taekwoon, Romance, WWII, War, World War 2 AU, comfort women
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-11
Updated: 2019-03-29
Packaged: 2019-07-29 13:18:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16265000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/biasedwriting/pseuds/biasedwriting
Summary: Maybe we will fly together into the distance.If we wait for the right moment.Drug our sorrows away.And realize it was all a dream





	1. Kairos

**Author's Note:**

> Kairos: The right moment

 

* * *

It was the wrong direction. The commander had given him the wrong directions and from what Taekwoon could see from his position in the sky there was no make-shift airstrip for him to land on, let alone a well-built airstrip. His eyes shifted to the fuel indicator on the control panel of his Gloster Gladiator noting that he was running low on fuel. He cursed. Fuck the commander and his bullshit directions. He’d never make it in time to the new base at this rate. Cursing, he tried to contact someone through the crackling radio only to receive silence in response.

He’d have to make a landing here in the open desert or there would be no way his obsolete flight would stay in the air. Navigating the flight, he began easing it towards the ground. A dust storm was brewing below obstructing any visibility that Taekwoon could have; but with the lack of fuel it was important to get the damn machine on the ground. As the ground came closer, he relaxed, the rest of this mess could be figured out the moment his feet were on the ground. The old machine slowly descended towards the ground and Taekwoon began to unstrap himself from the seat.

The he heard the crack on the undercarriage making him flinch at the sound, the flight shuddered violently, sending his head forward into the controls as a piercing pain filling his head as he scrambled, trying to get out of the aircraft as quickly as he could. The rusty taste of blood filled his mouth as he struggled against the last of the straps, the plane rocked back and forth as another ear-splitting sound resounded nearly rendering him deaf. The next jerk sent him tumbling out of the seat templing hitting the control board as the movement blurred his vision and the smell of fuel filled his senses making his pulse picked up. He needed to get out of the aircraft, soon. With his fading vision, he hauled himself up before tossing himself off the machine. The flames that flew out of the metal along with the resounding explosion nearly masked the sound of bones cracking as they landed against the rock bolder the plane had crashed into. The impact threw him several feet away from the flames, yet he could feel the heat, the pain, the endless pain.

He hadn’t expected for things to end right before they began, but the way the darkness was taking over his vision, he was certain this was the end. Coughing out the smoke he had managed to inhale, he tried to breathe in the last of the dry desert air only to have sand and dust enter his lungs causing him to cough again. Apparently he wasn’t allowed the luxury of clean air as he died. Then again, he thought, so many people were dying in the war for far worse. This wasn’t a bad death. The young age of twenty three, somewhere in the desert, failed by his own ability to fly an old obsolete flight. They said your life flashed past your eyes, yet Taekwoon didn’t see anything. Just pitch darkness. He closed his useless eyes and didn’t wake.

It was that moment, that very moment where Taekwoon stood on the precipice of life and death trying to choose which way to fall. Yet all he could see was the endless dark void.


	2. Nepenthe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nepenthe - medicine for sorrow

It smelled like disinfectant. Much too sterile as compared to the filth and rot Taekwoon had gotten used to over several months of training. Did the afterlife really smell like disinfectant?

“He’ll make it.” Taekwoon could hear a male voice say “He got bashed up pretty good, but he’ll make it. Kwon, go check his bandages out.”

“He looks rather grotesque. It’s a little off putting Doctor Lee.” A lady’s voice reached his ears as he inhaled deeply, brain still scrambling to figure out what exactly was going on. Was the after-life such a rude place as it was sterile?

“Good lord Kwon, you can’t afford to be choosy,” the Doctor’s voice grumbled “Kim, at least check if he can hear us. He really looks like he’s been bashed up, I’m surprised he’s still breathing.” Taekwoon felt a soft hand grasp at his holding his calloused palm gently as a new voice made acquaintance with his ear which somehow made goosebumps rise on his skin. Her voice was deep for certain, but something about it felt solid enough to grasp and soothed his frazzled senses.

“Squeeze my hand if you can hear me.”

Her hand was warm and supple, gentle and caring against his calloused ones. Taekwoon squeezed and felt her hand on top of his head, brushing the overgrown hair away, her finger’s meeting with the scalp of his head and the other gently reaching under the fabric of his uniform to test the skin on his stomach.

“He can hear us well enough. No fever caused by an infection. Broken ribs. We’ll need to clean him up and assess for any other internal damage.”

“Efficient as always Kim. Get him in and we’ll handle the rest. You’re in charge of him…since everyone else seems too put off by the bandaged head. ” the other voice came in.

“God Jaehwan, you make me sound terrible.” the initial voice that had called him grotesque grumbled as the person called Kim called back an affirmative as Taekwoon felt himself being wheeled somewhere. He hadn’t let go of the person’s hand, it was the only thing that told him that everything was real and whatever he could smell and hear beyond it was just as real as the hand that was holding his. He could feel the figure close to him, so incredibly warm, disinfectant masking a certain fresh scent lingering underneath.

“I’m Minah, once we assess what the damage is, and you can speak, you can call me that.” her voice was just as grounding as the warmth of her hand. Taekwoon wished he could taste her name on his tongue. But it felt heavy, like a piece of lead in his mouth, so he squeezed her hand in response and heard her let out a laugh. Just like fresh air filling his lungs, her short, soft laugh filled his senses and he held on. He let her take care of his bruised and broken body because he knew she would, he knew she would not let go.

Taekwoon didn’t know he could form a bond of trust with someone simply holding his hand. But here he was, placing his life in hers with the utmost faith that she would make things alright. That she would be the drug that would dull the suffering.

He felt her soul reach out to his to pull him out of the void of darkness. Maybe it was a figment of his imagination, but he felt his body relax to her voice. Things would be alright.

Maybe that’s what kept him going through it all. Minah was incredibly patient with him. She fed him with care, changed his clothes without complaint, sat through all the examinations holding his hand because he’d reach out for her. Sound tried to gurgle past his throat, but she’d hush him, ask him to take some time.

“Write on my palm,” she said as his index finger drew across her open palm deftly “Taek…woon, that’s your name isn’t it?” She said, smoothing his hair back from the heavily bandaged face “they’re going to fix your nose tomorrow Taekwoon. Then you’ll be able to speak again. They got the best surgeon for you. He said they’d give you a celebrity’s nose. God knows what that means, but we’ll be able to get the  bandages off you.” She laughed again, before  sighing “ Now, I have to attend to another patient, so I’m going to give you a dose of the painkillers for your ribs. Try and get some sleep alright?”

He liked that she made it a point to speak to him. That she talked him through everything she did as she injected the painkiller into the intravenous tube. Even in his drug induced drowsy haze Taekwoon tried to imagine what Kim Minah could look like. Would her features be sharp and defined or would they be mellow and pleasant? The pain in his chest dulled into a throbbing somewhere in the distance. What could a person who had given his frazzled senses such instant relief possibly look like?

“Had I know I had such a handsome man in my care I’d have put a barricade around you earlier.All of the nurses want to take care of you now.” Minah sounded amused as she unravelled the bandage around his head a week later. He blinked into the darkness. He had regained his voice, but not his sight.

His voice came out hoarse, shaky without use, his throat parched. Almost instantly a glass was held to his lips as he gulped down the cool water and cleared his throat.

“Thank you.” was the first words that left his lips after two weeks of silence. Minah smiled, setting the glass on the table beside his bed.

“You have Doctor Jaehwan and Wonshik to thank…is there anything you need? Something to eat maybe?  After that considered asking you if you’d like to write a letter home… your family might be worried. If you need me to be your scribe, I can…” she bit her lip, maybe she had said too much. She didn’t know how Taekwoon was as a man, but she thought he would like to send a note home “I’m sorry. I probably said too much. We’ll take it one step at a time…”

“I would like that.” Taekwoon’s voice didn’t match his face, but Minah found it incredibly pleasant.

“I’ll fetch your lunch and some writing paper then.” He could hear the smile in her voice and the sound of her footsteps leaving the space before returning minutes later with the scent of hospital food and the rustle of crisp paper.

It became routine soon after. In her breaks she would keep him company, feed him, fix his bed, write his letters.Sometimes, when Taekwoon would feel lonely, he’d tell her about his home and she would tell him about her hometown, just so he wouldn’t feel like he was just a person there. Taekwoon was known to be silent, but sometimes, the lack of conversation unnerved him. Especially when all around he could here was sounds of sickness and death mixed with the scent of piss, vomit, and disinfectant.

She’d sit with him through all the follow ups that Doctor Jaehwan conducted. The blindness was temporary, she told him, it was caused by a blood clot. Something that couldn’t be easily dissolved. They’d have to wait for his body to recover before he could do an invasive surgery to fix that problem. Taekwoon found himself placing his hands on his blanket as she scribbled away at his letter to his mother. The question bubbled past his lips.

“Will you be taking care of me till the surgery then?”

He heard her sigh, the rustle of papers being set to the side as she placed her hand on his giving it a gentle squeeze.

“I will take care of you for as long as you want me to Taekwoon.” she said, a moment of silence followed as Taekwoon blindly looked to the side.

“Do you think you could read to me?” he asked, wondering if it was too much to ask for, she felt like the only person who was his friend here and the reading would take his mind off things as they were, provide a short escape from the reality of himself  “that is, if you don’t mind.” He added quickly. The silence he got in response made him worry a little.

“If you don’t mind me reading to you after I get off work. I have no problem reading to you. Is there a specific title you have in mind?” Minah replied, ending the silence between them and Taekwoon smiled. Minah found that his smile was almost stark against the background of the war torn world. But there was a sweetness to it that made her return it, knowing well that he couldn’t see it.

Soon Taekwoon found himself looking forward to the evenings when Minah got off work, wondering what new story she brought with her. She always brought something cheerful, full of hope, set somewhere away from reality. Her voice carried him there, like a steady dream. Sometimes he would ask her to read the news to him, her voice sounded far more soothing than that which crackled through the transistor. She would always make it a point to ask him what he thought of the story and would discuss it with him till he fell asleep.

She was strong enough to lift his body, gentle enough to tend to his every hurt. Taekwoon wondered if he was becoming far too dependent on Kim Minah or whether he craved her company because he had no other. But things cleared up with the Nurse Kwon came in place of Minah. He felt frazzled and awkward as she fixed his pillows and shifted the stand holding his intravenous medication.

“You’re a handsome guy, I feel bad for turning you down when you came in” she stated, as Taekwoon gazed into the distance, lips pressed tightly together “oh, so you’ll only speak to Kim, eh? I see how this is. Well too bad, she had to abandon you because Jaehwan wanted her to assist in a complex surgery.” she grumbled, unaware how uncomfortable he felt. He felt a pang of worry. Would Minah truly abandon him for a new patient? The anxiety that had initially started off as a flicker, burned through his system. His chest hurt, and he wondered whether it was his healing ribs crying out in pain or whether this was what they called heart ache. Other nurses came through the day to fill in for Minah, they were all pleasant with him, sufficiently so. But nothing seemed to ease the ache, nothing seemed to fill the void.

Until he heard her say “I’m sorry I’m late.” every bit of tension had felt building over the day, eased. He heard her footsteps towards his bed and she fixed his pillow just right “I thought you’d be asleep though, it’s rather late.” she whispered. Taekwoon shook his head.

“I couldn’t sleep.”

“Did the other nurses give you a hard time? Or did you give them a hard time?” Minah asked as she sat down, sounding rather amused as Taekwoon pursed his lips.

“What did you bring to read today?”

“I take that it was the latter. I picked out a short story since it’s late.” she laughed, thumbing the pages of the old book in her hand. Taekwoon sank back into his pillow as he heard the chair next to his bed scrape against the floor as she drew it closer to him. Taekwoon found himself focusing more on her voice than the actual story. There was a certain rhythm to it, rising and falling like a melody. He closed his eyes, savouring it. He could hear the voice lull, as her own eyes drew shut as she leaned forward into his sheets. The exhaustion of the day finally catching up. Taekwoon started at the sudden loss of sound, but the warmth of her skin seeped through the sheets as she rested on his thigh, heavy breaths escaping her as she dozed.

His shaky hand reached out and placed itself on top of her head feeling thick and heavy hair as he smoothed his hand down the thick braid it was twisted into. The strong Kim Minah braided her hair, he noted, filing away the information somewhere in his brain. The same part of his brain formed an image of her. Beautiful, strong, kind, angelic. He smiled, eyes drawing shut again. She had long thick hair too.

Minah was surprised the next day when Taekwoon stopped chewing on the rice she had just fed him and asked “Is it possible for this surgery to go wrong?”

The silence told him that she was thinking and she sighed “it is possible for you to permanently lose your sight, yes.”

“Can you describe yourself to me?”

He heard the sound of hesitance at the back of her throat followed by the sound of her setting the bowl on the bedside table.

“I’m no good with words.” Minah sighed “ So asking me to describe myself to you would be of no use. Instead, you’ll need to learn a skill. If you do lose your sight forever, you’ll need to depend on your other senses.” she said, her hands reaching out to grasp at his wrists and placing it on her face. Taekwoon gulped, feeling how soft her skin felt under his fingers. Her face was rounded under his touch. It moved when she whispered “draw a mental image of me, use your hands.” His fingers trailed over the flesh, feeling high cheekbones under her round cheeks, her eyelashes tickled the tips of his fingers as they trailed down the bridge of her nose. His thumb trailed over the swell of her lower lip which puckered under his touch.

“You’re just as beautiful as I thought you would be.” it slipped past his lips almost inadvertently, yet he meant every word. Her lips twitched upwards under his thumb.

“You know my favourite part of you, Taekwoon?” she deflected “you say things with such conviction,” she said, brushing his hair off his forehead “and I really love this birthmark. Right under your eye.” she said, her finger grazing right over the spot gently.

“You’re the first person I want to see when I get my sight back.” Taekwoon said as Minah looked at him fondly.

“Why is that?”

“Because you saved me.”

“You’re too nice to me Taekwoon. The doctors saved you.” Minah laughed, amused. Taekwoon’s hand dropped from her face, reaching to grab hold of her hand.

“This hand held me through the whole thing. I want to see the person who made this suffering dull.”

Gently pulling her hand away, she linked her pinky to his.

“I promise, I’ll be the first person you see when you wake up after the surgery. If you cannot see, I will still be the first person you hear and touch. You have my word.” she said with conviction that Taekwoon pulled her hand against his chest.

“Cross your heart and swear to die.”

“I cross my heart and swear to die,” she laughed as she leaned over to hug him. The fresh scent that clung to her filled his senses. He pressed his forehead against her shoulder, their linked hands between their chests “ I promise I won’t let go.”

He lifted their hands to his lips and sealed the promise with a kiss.

Taekwoon wondered about the gravity of their friendship. Minah had left to attend to another patient and Taekwoon could already feel his heart hurting. This was definitely not pain in his ribs. Minah not being around was causing heartache and Taekwoon, the ever guarded Taekwoon, wondered whether this was love. To find every second with her precious, to feel like she brought value to his life. To find that she was the only light he wanted to see. That he felt so safe in her presence even if there was a war being fought around them.

Maybe this was the new meaning of love in the face of war. It wasn’t just attraction. It was feeling safe in the face of anything. It was trust beyond words. It was friendship, care, and love. Minah gave him all of these and he hoped, beyond all hope that he made her feel the same way.

But Taekwoon never rushed into action. He always mulled over his thoughts, refining them until he was sure of everything. The war had changed his life even before he could take part in it, it had taken away so much, but it had also given him a new meaning of love. Maybe it didn’t count for much in magnitude, but it did count for something very valuable and that meant enough to Taekwoon.

What if this was just a utopia contained in the small space assigned to him in the hospital? he wondered. Because that was all he seemed to be doing now that the pain in his ribs had subsided, he was recovering quickly. What if this would all just be a memory after he leaves the hospital, with or without his sight. But he realized, as he fiddled with the sheets that covered him, that it was no point to constantly puzzle over something he would not know the answer to unless he asked.

“Minah,” he began as she drew the curtain around his bed, she hummed, acknowledging his call

“Your surgery is tomorrow, are you feeling alright?” she asked as she set the basin down on his bedside table.

“I wanted to talk about something.” he said, feeling the bed sink as she sat down in front of him, reaching to unbutton the robe they had clothed him in. This was a daily routine, but she slowed down her pace almost as an indication that he should speak.

“What’s wrong Taekwoon? Are you worried about the surgery?” she asked, hands sliding the robe off his shoulders, checking his skin for any signs of infection, fever, or bruising. Taekwoon wondered what would be the best way to address the person in front of him.

The warm sponge in her hand went over his long legs, cooling it while cleaning it. She shifted, knowing he was grappling with something and was trying his best to articulate it. Running the sponge over his skin, she wondered what would happen when Taekwoon would leave this hospital. The care and love he showed for her would simply be a memory of a friend he had made back when he was fighting the war. What if he didn’t make it? She worried, what if the man she had grown to love would not see the other side of the war?

“Would it be too selfish of me to say that I want to see you even after I’m better? Wanting to be a part of your life even after I leave the hospital?” he said feeling the cool sponge which had been travelling down his arm pause. It slid back up his arm and over his shoulder. Circling the smooth rounded surface of skin, Minah bit down on her lip.

“No. It would not be selfish. I would like that too.”

“Even if it means writing you letters every week?”

“Of course. I will write back to you as well.” she laughed,  sponge going behind his neck as she carefully maneuvered him forward, exposing his back to her. She gazed at the broad expanse of unmarred skin wondering where he was going with this conversation.

“What if at the end of the war, I come here with a ring for you?” he mumbled as she froze, sponge still in her hand.

“Are you proposing to me, Jung Taekwoon?” she asked, sounding a little incredulous as Taekwoon smiled into his lap as the sponge travelled down the dip of his spine shakily.

“I’m telling you I love you.” He said, looking up now, knowing that she’s sitting behind him. “If you will have me. Broken, bruised, and possibly blind.”

Yet again he was met with silence. For a moment, he thought he had ruined whatever they had between them. But her arms wrapped around his waist and her head rested against his back as she nodded into it. A shiver ran down his spine when he felt her figure against his, warm and soft. His hands reached to hers and he pressed fervent kisses on them, trailing down her wrist, only letting go as he felt her lips against the base of his neck, trailing kisses down his spine, whispering promises into his skin.

“I will love you, whether you’re bruised, broken, blind, whatever it may be. As long as you’ll keep me and have me.”

“Minah,” he whispered, skin burning under her kisses “Minah come closer to me.” he called, as her skin left his tingling and empty for a few moments before he felt her settle closer to him, forehead resting against his, their breaths mingling. Her hand caught hold of his and guided it to her face as he instinctively cupped her cheek, pulling her close to press his lips against the side of her mouth. She turned, ever so slightly, and he revelled at how soft her lips felt against his. He pressed a kiss against her lips, before placing another and realizing how addictive it was, kissing her. It was almost like he had found an oasis in the middle of a desert and he drank her in, chaste kiss deepening as his tongue trailed over the swell of her lip and he could hear the sigh at the back of her throat as her lips parted and her tongue met his. Her fingers gently tangled themselves in his hair.

She felt his hands trail down her side, gripping, sensing and feeling, as his fists bunched at the pristine white of her uniform. It was almost a relief, kissing him. She felt like she had waited for this her entire life, and now, kissing Taekwoon made her heart want to explode just like the explosion of spots before her eyes. It was almost like they had waited for too long for this to happen. This wonderous moment where their bodies met, the moment where they stopped toeing the line between friendship and love and dove headfirst into the latter.

His lips chased hers hungrily, he would consume her whole and she didn’t mind at all. She wanted him to, she wanted him to take her soul and meld it with his and the heat of his touches going under the fabric of her uniform and dancing over her skin made it feel like it was entirely possible. He groaned softly when her lips met the column of his neck spreading heat with her hands. His own shakily wandering over her bare skin, trying to bare her soul to him, trying to memorize every inch of it so he could burn it into his memory.

The night before Taekwoon’s surgery, they made love for the first time, stumbling in their own darknesses, reaching for each other feverishly, falling asleep under the same sheets with their arms around each other.


	3. Kalopsia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 3 of the Kairos Series
> 
> Characters : VIXX’s Leo || OC
> 
> WWII au
> 
> Inspired by Armand!Leo and Going Solo by Roald Dahl
> 
> I am trash, I don’t know what the hell I’m doing, but this might be a short series.
> 
> Trigger Warnings: HELLA LONG, also implied sexual relations (lotsa) MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH, indirect mentions [comfort women and sex slavery](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comfort_women) (please educate yourselves on this too, thanks)
> 
> Kalopsia: a condition, state or delusion in which things appear more beautiful than they really are
> 
> PLEASE NOTE THE WARNINGS. PLEASE.

 

 **  
**He woke up and she wasn’t there. Instantly his mind was thrown into a state of panic as he shot up from his bed, hands feeling around the mattress. He paused when he heard her chuckle, drawing the curtain. **  
**

“Did you miss me that much?” she said, caressing his hair as he sighed, relaxing when her steady hands fixed the robes that hung loosely on his body “you do remember your surgery is today.” he nodded as his fingers laced with hers as they fixed the buttons of the robe, bringing them up to his lips to kiss her hands softly.

“I’ll finally be able to see you.” he whispered as he heard a soft exhale of her laugh and her lips caressing his forehead as he reached for her cheeks to seal their lips together desperately. Almost like he was making up for all the time they had spent toeing the line between friendship and this wondrous love. He revelled in the sensation of her lips against as her finger tangling in his hair as he sighed into the kiss.

“I hope I’m beautiful enough for you.” she breathed, resting her forehead against his when their lips parted.

“Do I have to kiss you again to stop you from saying silly things like this?” he laughed as she shook her head “you’d be beautiful to me because…” his hand rested on her chest feeling the beating heart “of this wonderful heart.”

“Jung Taekwoon is a romantic at heart, I did not know” he heard Minah chuckle as she caressed his cheek “but we need to prepare you for your surgery.” She said, fixing his robe yet again, as went about preparing him for his eye surgery. He waited in silence, trying to process all the emotions that were flooding him. This was going to be a life-changing moment and he knew it. Would he be able to rejoin the air force? Or will they send him back home before he could even take part in the war efforts?

In a short while, he could hear the familiar voice of Doctor Jaehwan talking him through the surgery process as they wheeled him towards the make-shift operation theatre the hospital had. They were never meant to treat more than a few wounds, but the war was starting to take such a drastic turn, that they needed to create some way to treat more severely hurt soldiers. Thanks to the large layout of the hospital, several of the once private rooms had now been converted into ORs. His fingers were laced with Minah’s as he was being wheeled there as Jaehwan shot her a knowing look to which she smiled back, pretending to be entirely oblivious.

“Do you want to tell me what is happening between you and our patient?” Jaehwan asked as the two scrubbed in. Minah turned around and smiled at him.

“The same that is happening with you, doctor Wonshik, and the nurse from paediatrics, Haneul was her name, right?” she asked as she scrubbed between her fingers as Jaehwan grinned.

“Touche Kim Minah, touche. But, I don’t blame you, he’s a great catch.”

“I would rather you not compare him to a fish. But if I may, Haneul is excellent.”

“Wonshik agrees…” Jaehwan nodded, wiping his hands off before handing Minah another towel.

“And I would not like to know the details, thank you very much,” she replied, dropping the fabric and making her way towards the room in which Taekwoon lay.

“Minah?” Taekwoon’s voice called to her as she walked over to him as he smiled, now being able to recognise the sound of her footsteps. He felt her finger slip through his with familiar ease as she kissed his cheek.

“I’m right here,” she whispered as he let out the breath he had been holding, the thought of the possibility of not seeing her troubled his mind. She squeezed his fingers “I will be with you and hold your hand regardless of the results of this surgery.” she said, firmly as his voice came out shakily.

“Thank you.”

“I love you Jung Taekwoon.” she whispered as the door flew open and Jaehwan entered with Wonshik, masks hiding the smug looks on their faces as a new nurse followed in to assist with the surgery. Wonshik set to administering the anaesthesia as Minah held onto Taekwoon’s hand, his breath steadying as he slowly felt his consciousness slip away from him. Minah’s gaze shifted to Wonshik and Jaehwan before nodding and closing her eyes to pray for him. She knew that Wonshik and Jaehwan were capable doctors, but it was her heart on the operating table.

Minah held her breath as the doctors set to work.

The moment the bandages came off was when she let go of the breath she had been holding. The anaesthesia had long worn off and the surgery had gone well according to both Wonshik and Jaehwan. Taekwoon lay asleep in his bed, having been given the private room with a single window and lesser sunlight to prevent the delay of his recovery. Jaehwan had allowed her to remove the bandages after she had mentioned Taekwoon’s request. He had left her in the room with a wink and a serious “call me if there are any complications.”

Minah felt Taekwoon stir and she turned towards him, noticing his sleep breaking. Her name escaped his lips making her heart tighten as she sat by him on the bed. Reaching over to hold his hand she called to him, making him stop and turn to face her.

“Do you want me to take the bandages off?”

“I want to see you.”  his voice was hoarse but firm as he grasped her hand and pulled her closer till she sat on the same bed as him. Releasing her hand, he felt her fumble with the bandages, hurrying her movements as she felt his hands slide up and down her sides, grip tightening as he felt the weight of the bandages now on his lap. Her lips caressed his eyelids as her hands rested on his shoulders.

“Open your eyes,” she said, nervous as his eyes fluttered open. She sucked in a breath when his feline eyes focused on her, pupils constricting in the new found light. Taekwoon successfully took her breath away more so than he ever did.

Taekwoon’s brain was trying to process everything, the bright light that was making him squint, the figure sitting in front of him, looking at him intently as she bit down on her lip. Her hands slid down from his shoulders and rested on her lap as her gaze followed the same path. There was something bizarrely breathtaking about her, her skin had seen the sun before the war. But now it was somewhat gaunt and pale, her long hair in a braid which hung down her back, her soft plush lips swollen ever so slightly from her nervous biting and her eyes sucked his soul in as his hand shakily reached up to caress the side of her face making her eyes gaze at him through her thick eyelashes.

His gaze was so tender as his thumb ran over her cheek gently making her feel tears spring to her eyes.

“Minah,” he whispered, eyes fixed on her face as he leaned closer, taking all of her in as the door was slowly opened and Jaehwan entered.

“I see that the patient is in good shape.” he breezed in, trying to get through his checkup of Taekwoon’s eyes without laughing at the indignant expression on Taekwoon’s face or the tears that Minah had quickly wiped away from her eyes. He may have felt a little guilty for ruining the moment, but checking if Taekwoon’s vision was okay was the priority.

“We’ll keep you under observation till you have fully recovered. Kim here will take good care of you till then. You should probably get him something to eat since he hasn’t eaten since the surgery.” he grinned at Taekwoon as Minah bowed in response and followed Jaehwan out before hurrying to put together a tray of food for Taekwoon. When she returned she found him standing by the window, looking out into the dystopian sight of the space around the hospital. She walked over to him with the tray and he looked at her. It took all of her self control to drop everything and throw herself into his arms. Yet she knew he had to eat and regain his strength.

There was a silence as he stood by the window, looking out and eating off the tray. There were several thoughts that flew through her head. Was he disappointed? Was it her dark skin? Her small eyes? Her mass of hair? Minah’s mind began listing out her flaws, every scrape, scar, mark on her skin was under her scrutiny and she blamed all of it for his disappointment.

Setting the tray down on the table she fixed his bed and checked the medications on the bed-side table. All the thoughts that were going through her head were put to a halt when Taekwoon’s hand reached for hers, spinning her around to meet his gaze. She gasped when he leaned down to kiss her, lips moulding against hers hesitantly before her arms wrapped around his neck to deepen the kiss and his wrapped around her waist. The kiss was straight out of a dream, heady with passion, savouring the moment as they tasted each other and when they parted, panting. He gazed at her heaving chest, her wobbly legs, and her swollen lips, meeting her glazed over eyes before whispering.

“Minah…” He walked her back to the lone bed in the room, the back of her calves knocked against it. All he wanted to do was hold her in his arms and gaze at her till every image of her was burned into his memory. But his body was exhausted as she helped him lay back down and he pulled her into his chest. Whatever worry Minah had felt had long disappeared as she rested against him, running soothing touches over his arms feeling his breath steady as he fell asleep again.

He woke up to her dozing with her head on the bed as she sat by the bed. Moonlight streamed in through the single window, casting light and shadows on her figure. He gazed at her long eyelashes, peaceful expression, and the way her body rose and fell as she slept

She groaned when he ran his hand gently over her head, caressing it lovingly, feeling the thick strands of hair under the pads of his fingers. Stirring, her eyes wearily opened, blinking at him trying to process her surroundings. Taekwoon froze, worried that he has disturbed her sleep but when he drunk her face in, he rested his hand on her arm, tugging her towards him, inviting her to share the small bed that was his. Minah didn’t seem to question his movement, sleepily crawling into the space he had created for her, resting her head on his chest, sighing as he wrapped his arm around her and gazed at her face. She returned his gaze with a dazed smile and she closed her eyes when he kissed her forehead before floating back into the world of sleep.

In this little bubble of theirs, the war was forgotten. This moment was that of bliss.

Minah took Taekwoon’s breath away when he saw her in the bright sunlight. Jaehwan had sent the two out into the hospital courtyard so Taekwoon could get some air. Yet Minah seemed to steal whatever air Taekwoon had in his lungs the moment he saw how the sun made her glow. He had only seen her in the dank lighting that the hospital. Clearly, it did not do her any justice the way the sun did. The sun warmed his skin and he could feel his energy returning. Jaehwan had declared that he was strong enough to move around but decided it would be important to still keep him under observation to make sure that Taekwoon was truly fit to serve.

The actual courtyard itself was quite dreary. The hospital staff had tried to spruce it up with some plants, and there were some damaged benches and the courtyard seemed to lead to passages unknown. Taekwoon had a grip on Minah’s hand as they walked around the small space, discussing dreams and aspirations for a future after the war.

She took small steps looking around the empty courtyard, shielding her eyes from the blinding sun as she looked at the birds that had settled on the high walls of the hospital.

“I’m surprised to see birds with all these bombs dropping in the areas around. But it’s mostly peaceful here, maybe that’s why they’ve come. They’re beautiful.” she sighed, smiling.

“They are,” he replied, eyes following her gaze before landing back on her glowing face, there was something about it that made his blood rush. She was a vision to be beheld, warm, golden, absolutely wonderful “it’s nice to feel the sun.”

“It is, isn’t it? Sometimes I feel like we’re so caught up in this war that we miss all these wonderful things. But, I suppose we never noticed them until the war took them away from us. Life is really short isn’t it?” Minah sighed as Taekwoon squeezed her hand. The birds which had been perched on the walls now took flight to someplace neither knew of. Taekwoon followed Minah’s gaze on the birds before tugging at her hand.

“Then we must make the most of whatever little we do have,” he said smiling and ushering her to follow the birds. They hurried after the small creatures, grinning childishly as they followed the colourful feathers into paths that neither had seen before. The hospital did have a large compound, but with the things being what they were, no one had bothered to check beyond the actual building of the hospital. Panting, in a clearing so isolated from everything it was a space of its own. The birds had flown too far away to be chased.

They settled down on the ground, looking around at this space which felt so far away from the world.

“It was beautiful while it lasted I suppose. But, let us make a promise” Minah panted out, cheeks glowing with the exertion. Taekwoon gaped at her for a moment before feeling her pinky link with his “let us make the most of whatever little we have.” she smiled, raising their linked fingers to her lips as a motion of sealing the promise with a kiss. But when she felt Taekwoon’s lips meet her’s instead, her smile widened as her fingers tangled in his hair almost instantly. Taekwoon’s passion was always overwhelming but never unwelcome. His hands wandered over her clothed skin as he tilted his head, deepening the kiss, nipping at her lips. The moment they broke apart, he watched her breathe heavily, drinking in the very image of her face. He couldn’t believe he had spent so long in the dark, not knowing that this angelic face had been his saviour. His fingers dug into her uniform as he kissed her soundly again, resting his forehead against hers, he gazed into her eyes.

“I want to see all of you.”

There was a pause. A silence that took over as she blinked back at him. Taekwoon wondered if it was the wrong thing to say. But when her lips met his again, hesitantly, and she placed her shaky hands on his to raise them to the buttons of her uniform, whatever little doubt that had been left in his mind was wiped away. Every sliver of skin that was presented to him was worshipped, every layer that came off, revealing more of her to him was burned into his memory. Every sound that left her lips as his mouth met her skin was recorded somewhere deep in his brain as her hands scrambled to grip at sanity before reaching to tear at the flimsy garments the hospital had provided for him. Skin met skin feverishly as they kissed, wanting to mask the sound of their acts but too lost in each other to think beyond just being with one another.

They spent whatever little time they had left together in Taekwoon’s little room or in the space they called their own. Hours and hours flew by as they bared their souls to each other in more ways than one. They knew that the time they had together was short and they made it a point to spend every moment with each other. Jaehwan shot them knowing looks, but neither of them cared. They were desperate for time, grasping at whatever the clock offered them. Every moment was like a dream because in those moments, there was no war, just each other. They had every breath of each others memorized. Every like, every dislike, every touch was burned into their memories. How easy it was to create dreams in the air. Little bubbles of hope for the future just waiting to be burst by reality.

And reality did come.

Minah thought her heart had broken when Jaehwan announced that Taekwoon was fit to serve in the airforce again. While she was happy that Taekwoon was in full health, but it meant the impending loss of being with the man she had grown to love so dearly. Static filled her mind as she paced around the corridor

“They’ve placed me in the new 43rd unit.” Taekwoon read out, the letter from his commanding officer had arrived that morning and Taekwoon was in the midst of packing whatever little he had with a heavy heart. Minah blinked at the name.

“The 43rd unit?”

“Yes, that would be right.” Taekwoon turned to her before handing her the letter. Minah’s face instantly lit up.

“My cousin…Cha Hakyeon is in that unit!”

“Your cousin?”

“Yes! My cousin, Cha Hakyeon! Oh thank god, you’re in good hands!” Minah sighed as Taekwoon walked towards her and pulled her into his arms.

“With you around, I don’t need another pair of good hands to take care of me.”

“You can never tell.”

“I doubt your cousin would repeat what happened in the stora-”

“Jung Taekwoon!” Minah coloured, making Taekwoon laugh before leaning down to kiss her. She knew he was trying to make this goodbye as cheerful as possible knowing that there was a possibility of him never coming back. The chaste kiss broke off with another kiss to her forehead.

“I’m coming back to get you. So,” he said raising her left hand and kissing her ring finger “leave this vacant for me.”

Minah smiled into the last kiss Taekwoon pressed against her lips and cried into her pillow the night he picked up his small bag of belongings and left for the closest airfield.

Taekwoon found himself in tears too, it felt like he was leaving a part of his soul behind in the hospital. The night’s journey to the airfield had been long. The journey to where the 43rd Unit had been camped even longer. Every moment apart felt like a new wound was being stabbed into his heart.

Until he met Cha Hakyeon.

The sun-kissed man was just like his cousin - strong, warm, and welcoming. He said that Minah had written to him mentioning that Taekwoon would be coming to join him and almost instantly took him under his wing.

They trained together, ate together, waited for letters from their families together. They stayed in the same barrack, their friendship blossomed.

Hakyeon would find himself laughing at Taekwoon as he sifted through letters, looking for something written by Minah. He found it endearing and amusing as to how much Taekwoon was in love with his cousin. Sometimes he found himself wondering what it felt like, being so in love. Deeply wanting to be with another person that you read letters over and over till they frayed with the over-reading.

For three months Taekwoon saved the letters Minah wrote to him, admiring the way the ink curved over yellowing sheets of paper. They lay in a little biscuit box of  under his pillow, waiting to be read every night.

He wrote as often as he could, between flights and all the movement. All the coins he managed to save, went into the biscuit box, waiting to be converted into a golden ring for her.

He  teared up when she sent him a picture, saying that she had plead with Wonshik to take one for her. The black and white image was tucked into his jacket pocket before every flight, placed close to his heart when he wasn’t in the air. He gazed at it, trying to draw energy from her figure.  Her soft eyes, her hair in a heavy, thick braid, her lithe body clad in the white uniform he remembers divesting her of so many times.

Hakyeon convinced to send her a picture in return.

He found himself awkwardly standing, hair slicked back, dressed in is uniform as Hakyeon held a borrowed camera to his face. He waited for it to be developed, running to post it across to Minah, hoping she would be just as happy as he was to see her.

But a reply never came.

Taekwoon waited.

And waited.

And waited.

The biscuit box filled with coins, weighing down the letters. He swapped it for a golden ring. Nothing too fancy, just a gold band, dainty enough to slip onto her finger.

And waited.

For weeks.

Then the message came in the form of Jaehwan.

He had arrived at the camp, battered and bruised, rescued from an attack on the hospital. His eyes widened at the sight of Taekwoon who gaped back at him from his position next to Hakyeon.

The taller found himself running towards the doctor, dodging past his friend who tried to hold him back. Grasping the injured man by the collar, he demanded.

“What happened to Minah?!”

“Got taken to the camp,” Jaehwan croaked out, making Taekwoon frown.

“Another unit’s camp?”

“No…their camp” Jaehwan whispered, swallowing heavily. “The comfort station across the border.”

Taekwoon dropped him. He felt dizzy. He had heard of what happens in comfort stations and bile rose in his throat at the thought of his Minah being in such a situation. He needed to get there. He needed to get her out of there. He stood up.

“She didn’t make it out…” Jaehwan reached up to grasp at his hand to stop him from moving. Hakyeon rushed over to hold up his collapsing body, turning to Jaehwan.

“What did you say, doctor?”

The words that followed made the world seem to stop for Taekwoon. His knees buckled as a sob left his lips as he fell into Hakyeon’s arms.

“Kim Minah didn’t make it out. Her body has been sent home.”

**Author's Note:**

> WWII au
> 
> Inspired by Armand!Leo and Going Solo by Roald Dahl


End file.
